The Governor's Race and the Women's Vote

When it became clear that the general election for governor would come down to Frank Caprio and Lincoln Chafee, the conventional wisdom had Chafee faring better among women as the more liberal candidate. But in one of many signs of how tight - and unpredictable - the governor's contest has become, the numbers suggest Caprio is holding his own among women.

A combination of two internal Chafee polls from late September and early October, which gave Chafee a slight lead in the gubernatorial contest, found 31 percent of women favoring Chafee to 30 percent backing Caprio.

What's happening here? It's hard to know. But there are several possibilities. Caprio's edge among Democratic voters is slight, but he has some strength there nonetheless and the Democratic Party has an advantage with women. There's also Caprio's direct appeal to women, like with this ad: